Keelon Russell’s first start gave Alabama plenty to like, but it also showed exactly what the Crimson Tide want him to clean up before the tests get tougher.
The sophomore was at his most dangerous when the pocket broke down and he turned his legs loose, piling up 86 rushing yards and a touchdown to lead Alabama on the ground Saturday. He was electric once he escaped, turning broken plays into real gains with his speed.
But there was a tradeoff. Alabama’s coaches would have preferred a few fewer of those yards if it meant Russell got down sooner and avoided extra contact.
“Oh, my God, this guy,” offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb told reporters on Monday. “Yeah, we’re working on sliding. I know that question’s coming in.”
Russell said after the game that even his teammates were urging him to do a better job protecting himself. That message matters more now, because Alabama heads to Kentucky this week for Russell’s first SEC game and his first road start.
Grubb said the staff’s priority is making sure Russell grows into the quarterback position, not just the athlete who can scramble when things break down.
“Any young quarterback that has the ability to move like that, your responsibilities as a coach is that he came here to play quarterback and continue to develop him as a quarterback,” Grubb said. “Not a runaround guy.
The off-platform stuff is an absolute blessing that he’s able to do it. We just don’t want it to have to keep happening at the wrong time when he’s late on the decision, things like that.”
Russell still showed why Alabama is excited about him. He threw for 256 yards, and he would have added a touchdown pass if Ryan Coleman-Williams had held on in the end zone.
There were a few decisions that came with the territory of a first start, but nothing about his debut suggested the ceiling is small. If he keeps improving, Alabama could have a big year on its hands.
The catch is that the quarterback has to stay upright.
“It’s a long season, this is a competitive league and if he runs around like that every week, it’s going to be a even a longer year for him,” Grubb said. “So I think there a couple inspirational plays for him that he’s going to remember that hopefully we can continue to develop his idea of when to get the ball out of his hand, when to take care of edge protection, when to get down in the open field. So we’ll keep working those things.”
Alabama and Kentucky are set for a 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff Saturday in Lexington, with the game on ABC.
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